I have knitted three small swatches, but Squijum was too worked up for me to be able to photograph them. Knitters who have cats, how do you do it? In any case, I am now able to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off, but my tension leaves much to be desired. In particular, the stitches at each end of the row are always way looser than the rest of the row; any advice would be appreciated!
The yarn I have is an alpaca/ wool blend that is very nice and soft, but also very fuzzy. This didn't cause as much trouble as I was afraid of, but I'm definitely going to have to get some smoother yarn for further practice.
I got some tatting done, too. I wanted to make Fox's "Athalia" pattern using this Swarovski doodad.
"But that has ten loops!" I hear you saying. "How can you use that for a pattern with four repeats?" Here's the back side of it.
I won't pretend it was easy joining to these holes on the back, but I got it done. While I was tatting, I happened to notice that the thread I was using was a perfect match for the shirt I was wearing.
I've noticed I often do that; it's never intentional, but it happens a lot. Here's the finished piece.
I missed a picot on one of the large rings, but I don't think it's too noticeable because it's tucked behind the doodad. I'm going to wear it anyway. The thread is Yarnplayer's "Vibrato".
Gorgeous!! I've seen those crystal components. So pretty!
ReplyDeleteOn the first stitch of each row, slip it - don't knit it. Take the yarn between the needles, over the work to the back, then continue knitting. This will give you a chain selvedge; it works great for me!
ReplyDeleteYour "Athalia" piece is lovely - wear it with pride!!
That sounds like a great trick, I will definitely give it a try. Thanks!
DeleteVery nice, lovely colors and a pretty trinket paired with well done tatting certainly make a gorgeous pendant!
ReplyDeleteOooh, so pretty!
ReplyDelete.
Very pretty pendant! How can you miss with a Swarovski doodad and gorgeous HDT? I'll have to look for some of those beauties!
ReplyDeleteAmazing that the doodad has eight holes on the back. I've never seen one like that! The Athalia pattern looks great in those colors and with that doodad!
ReplyDeleteWith your knitting, are you using the Continental method (holding the yarn as if you're crocheting), rather than the "English" method ('throwing' the yarn with the right hand)? Are you doing garter stitch (all knit stitches, no purl stitches)? It's common to have uneven tension at first, especially at the ends/beginnings of rows. It will all improve with practice. I know you'll be an expert knitter in no time!
Funny, the series of YouTube videos I'm using teaches English style, but about halfway through my third row I got frustrated, grabbed the yarn with my left hand, and found it way more comfortable. So now I'm doing Continental style (or something resembling it) while learning from an English style video.
DeleteSo far I've done two swatches in garter (1 all knit and 1 all purl), and one in stockinette.
I know it's just a matter of practice. I'm so used to being an experienced tatter that I forget what it's like to be a beginner again!
Wow!!! That is so very gorgeous!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat really looks marvellous! Nicely finessed, Miranda!
ReplyDeleteAs for knitting and cats... I was always so careful with Misha, as he would eat ANYTHING that he was not supposed to! Bits of fluff, wool, thread, thumbtacks - he would approach all of it with an big open mouth, which was odd, because to watch him eat, he was the most gentile, elegant eater in all Feline-Land. He would delicately eat every morsel and crumb, slowly and carefully.
Wool scraps were the worst... I would have to be scrupulous with the bits and pieces in order to avoid the big vet bill that usually accompanies this type of unchecked appetite and leftover yarn!
Gian could care less! about any of it - thread, dust, wool, human foodi (Don't tell him how relieved I am!)
Good luck with Squijum! Perhaps knitting him a little wooly mouse would appease his curiosity...
Gian thinks a knitted beret with holes for ears would be dashing...
Fox : )
That is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteYour pendant is gorgeous! Good luck with the knitting. Yes, a smoother yarn will be easier to work with and easier to undo if you need to or want to. I like the idea of your knitting a mouse for the cat to play with!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pendant, lovely colours and gorgeous doodad,
ReplyDeleteIt's not just cats that like knitting, we had a dog she loved wool and blue wool even when she went blind she could pick out blue wool, we have no idea how she did it. We put a bag of bits on the floor there was every colour we had used, What she she bounce on the blue wool. There was no way when she was alive we could knit with blue wool, she would take it and play with it, rip it off the needles if she had a chance.
The smoother wool might be easier to practice with until you get your tension better and cheaper if you have to pull it out.
Margaret
What a funny story! I wonder if the blue dye has a particular scent that a dog can detect that humans can't.
DeleteKnitting and purling Continental is VERY efficient, especially when doing a combination of knit and purl stitches in the same row, such as in ribbing (k2, p2 or k1, p1). It took years (decades?) to gain acceptance here in the U.S., which frustrated me! The purl stitch is tricky, however. Make sure you're doing it the proper way. A good video is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDYne
ReplyDeletedone by CraftSanity.com. She explains clearly the differences between Continental and English style. (Some videos out there only confuse the issue!) It also helps to know the basics of English style so you can easily alternate two colors of thread in one row (as in Fair Isle knitting) using both Continental and English. But that's for another day!
Thanks, Kathy, I will definitely check out that video.
DeleteI just watched that video, and it was great! The way she shows to hold the yarn is definitely more efficient than what I was doing yesterday, although ultimately the movements of the yarn are the same. I tat with a crochet hold, so this way of holding yarn will feel very natural to me, and the way she moves her index finger to purl looks exactly like how I flip a tatting stitch!
DeleteI'm going to continue with the video series I started with that shows English style, because it's a good series for a beginner that takes things at the right pace for me. But I'm just going to take the information they give and do it Continental style, because it seems to work pretty well for me. Thanks again for all your help, Kathy!